Timing mechanism



F. R. JAEGER.

TIMING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-24. 1918.

Patented July 22, 1919.

FRIEDEMAN R. JAEGER, 0F OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.

TIMING Mncmrmsiai p Original application led .Tune 14, 1918, Serial No.239,915.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 22, 1919. Divided and this application filed August 24,

1918. Serial No. 251,299;

To @ZZ 1c/wm it may concern:

lic it known that I, FRIEDEMAN R. JAEGER, ay citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at t )a k Park, in the county of Cook and State ot'Illinois, have invented certain new and usct'ul Improvements in TimingMechanisms, ot' which the following is a specification.

M v invention relates to timing appliances, such as are suitable anddesirable for employment. with various mechanisms, for eX- ample,clothes washing machines, whereby the operator may be advised when thecleansing operation has proceeded suiiicicutly and the clothes are readyfor further treatment. To this end, the timingV mechanisni is connecteddirectly to thepower-transmitting means or driving-shaft of the washingmachine which may be of the reversing type, that is to say, it may beequipped with an oscillatory cylinder which rotates in one direction apredetermined number of revolutions and then automatically reverses itsdirection of movement. and completes the same number of revolutions insuch opposite direction, whereupon it again reverses and continues thisoperation until stopped by the operator. Machines of this styleordinarily have a double clutch mechanism associated with a main driveshaft constantly rotated in one direction, and the improved timingdevice is driven by such main shaft so that it always works in the samedirection regardless of which clutch is active and regardless of thereversals of movements of the cylinder. The timing device is properlygraduated and has an index readily returned to zero position, and,inasmuch as the washing machine is ordinarily driven by a practicallyconstant-speed, electric-motor, the timing appliance may lbe graduatedin minutes and fractions thereof.

ln order that those skilled in this art may have a. full understandingof the structural features of this invention and the functionaladvantages accruing therefrom, I have illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, forming a part of this specification, and throughout thevarious views of which like reference characters refer to the. sameparts, a preferred and desirable embodiment of the invention associatedwith the' operating mechanism of a washing machine.

ln this drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevation showing the reversing driving mechanism for thecylinder tongue 23 on the 'a worm-wheel 28 on o oluble in suitablebearings 30 and 31.

of the washing machine in association with the timing appliance, theelectric-motor being shown fragmentarily;

gig. 2 is a face view of the -timing device; an l Fig. 3 is afragmentary -section through the central portion of the same.

he improved appliance is driven by a constant-speed electric-motor 10operating a sha-ft 11 provided with two op ositely-facing bevel pinions12 and 13,l bot constantly in mesh with a larger bevel-gear 14:connected to and driving an oscillatory clothescontaining drum orcylinder, notv shown. Operatively associated with these pinions is adouble-clutch mechanism l5, 16, adapted to render either pinion activeby connecting it to shaft 11 by reason of the inter-engagement ormeshing of the usual clutch-teeth, the duplex clutch appliance beingcontrolled or actuated by a lever or handle 17 fulcrumedat 18, andwhich, when in upright or neutral position, holds both clutches inactiveor inoperative. When the handle is swung to the right, clutch 15 becomesoperative and the clothes drum or cylinder is revolved in onedirect-ion, and when thehandle is shifted to the left, such clutchconnection is bro-ken, the other one, 16, being rendered active, and thedrum or cylinder is rotated in the opposite direction. Such shiftingclutch action uordinarily occurs entirely automatically, as set forth,for example, in my United States Patent No. 1,252,698, mechanicalmovements, granted January 1918, whereby the -cylinder is rotated adetinite or predetermined number of revolutions in one direction andthen the same number in the opposite direction, and this laction isautomatically maintained or continued until manually terminated lbyholding or stopping the lever or handle in neutral or midway position.

The timing mechanism proper is .inclosed within a casin 20 and comprisesa shaft 21 having a notc ed end 22 accommodating a end of shaft llfsu'chslot and tongue comprising a positive and direct driving connection.Shaft 21 has a worm 24 coacting with aworm-wheel 25 on a shaft 26rotatablyrsupported in the housing, which shaft in turn has a worm 27meshing with a hollow shaft 29'rev- This hollow shaft has an inclineddisposition and its upper end has fixed thereto a notched disk 32,(Figs. 2 and 3), whose periphery is provided with 12 notches, eachcorresponding to a period of five minutes. The hollow shaft 29 haswithinit a solid shaft or rod 33 equipped outside of the casing orhousing with a thumb piece or knob 34 and a pointer or index linger 35equipped on its under side with a lug or pin 36 adapted to enter any oneof the notches of disk 32. The

, knob and index are rigid with-and necessarily rotate with the solidinner shaft and all through with the outer hollow shaft when the lug isin the notch of the disk,

such lug and disk representing a drlvingclutch connection. The pointeror index and its turning thumb piece 34 to which it is rigidly fastened,are held against the face of the casing or housing by means of a spring37 bearing at one'end against the end of the hollow shaft and at theother end against a head 38 on the rod or solid shaft 33.' This permitsa temporary raising or lifting of the knob and the pointer so that thelatter may be shifted or turned back to zero position, the lug beneathit dropping into another notch and being held therein' by reason of theaction of the spring as soon as the knob is free from the hand of theoperator. As is clearly shown in Fig. 2, the face of the cover 39,:forthe timing mechanism feature is supplied with a circular ,graduatedscale 40 with which the pointer cooperates, such scale being dividedinto 60 parts. representing minutes, the five minute graduations beingmore conspicuous than the others.

' vBefore the appliance is set in operation,

the operator'. lifts theknob 34 and its associated pointer or index andturns the latter back to or substantially -to zero position, whereuponthe pin 36 springs into the corresponding notch of the disk. Then as.

the mechanism operates, the finger or pointer 35 travels over the dialquite slowly, its movements being so timed with relation to the speed ofthe motor that the graduations or markings of the scale with which itcooperatesrepresent minute periods. When the washing machlne or othermechanism with which the clutclr device and timing mechanism areassociated has been actu- L ated the desired period, as shown by thisfinger 35, the mechanism is stopped, and then the pointer may bereturned to or substantially to zero position, ready for indicating theperiod ofthe next operation. It will be observed that since this timingdevice is directly connected to the shaft 11 and since such shaft alwaysrotates in the same direction regardless of the oscillatory mover mentof the clothes cylinder, the period of rotation of the shaft, that is,the length of time the main device operates, is at all times indicatedon this timing mechanism regard.

less of the various automatic shiftings of the clutch mechanism. v Tothoseskilled in this art it will be clear that many minor mechanicalchanges may be made in the apparatus illustrated and described withoutdeparture from the substance and principle of the invention and withoutthe sacrifice of any of its substantial benefits and advantages. f

This' application is a division of my earlier application forimprovements in clutches, Serial No. 239,915, filed June 14, 1918.

I claim:

In a time-indicating appliance of the character described, thecombination of a hollow shaft, a bearing for said shaft, means to rotatesaid shaft at a substantially-uniform speed, a notched-disk mounted onand revoluble with said shaft, a second shaft slidable in and adapted tobe turned relatively to said hollow shaft, a knob mounted on said innershaft by which the latter may be manipulated, an index mounted on andthe i dex to zero or substantially zero posi-` tion, substantially asdescribed.

FRiEnEMAN R.- JAEGER.

